Stay with me
by KatanaSabaku
Summary: Tenten thought she knew death. But as she watched her comrade, her teammate, her best friend, her Neji, fall into Naruto's arms, Tenten wished she hadn't known death at all. Spoilers for Chapter 614. Nejiten.


Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

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**Stay with me**

Something was about to go wrong.

Tenten knew it the minute all of them had served as back-up to Naruto in fighting Uchiha Madara, Obito and that dreadful Juubi but she tossed the thought aside. This was war, she reasoned with herself inwardly, grimacing as she concentrated on taking enemies down wave after wave. In war, everything was bound to get wrong.

And so, the weapons mistress ignored the troubled feeling that kept knocking on her guarded heart, her mind turning blank as she once again resumed spilling blood and piercing bodies.

Debris was flying everywhere and corpses littered the ground. The air was filled with the rotting stench of the Juubi, of the dead and of smoke. But even with all of the three combined, the sharp, headache-inducing smell of blood still couldn't be overpowered.

Kunai and shuriken flew wildly as Tenten unleashed her wrath upon the gigantic monster that stood before them. The girl's honey brown orbs were bloodshot and half-lidded with exhaustion, her arms weary and stiff. Her chakra was reaching an almost dangerously low level and she was short on things to throw but the kunoichi kept on fighting and fighting, defending the people around her and trying her best not to pass out on the ground, dead.

From afar, she could hear screams and sobs of pain and desperation, signaling another death of a fallen comrade. Tenten ignored it and kept fighting. On her left, someone let out an enraged yell of vengeance and the crying shinobi that had let out the declaration charged unintelligently towards the Juubi, hatred clouding his judgement. Not seconds after, he fell to the earth, his body lifeless and shredded. Yet another one dead. Tenten merely continued throwing kunai.

As the hours of battle passed by quickly, the brunette thought that nothing could surprise her now. She had seen everything, even things that one shouldn't have; felt everything that could ever be felt.

Just when she the thought began to slip away from her mind, a sudden cry sounded from behind her and even when she developed control over the urge to look at every single thing, Tenten couldn't quite resist this time and turned around.

Time seemed to stop then as her eyes widened, taking in the image that she could never bear to forget. Her breath caught inside her throat and her heart skipped a beat. Her brown orbs stared with horror as Neji slumped dependently against their blonde supposed-to-be savior, two long, thick poles of wood impaled on his bloody back.

His green jounin vest was blotched dark red, his dark tresses free from any restrains, splayed loosely over his shoulders. Beside him, Hinata was on her knees, shaking and crying and staring so helplessly.

Tenten thought she knew anger.

Tenten thought she knew pain.

But no…this searing agony, the hatred that boiled inside the pit of her stomach was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

Tenten thought she knew death.

But as she watched her comrade, her teammate, her best friend, _her_ Neji, fall into Naruto's arms, Tenten wished she hadn't known death at all. The bun-haired kunoichi ran. She ran, ran, ran and shoved everyone away, screaming and cursing at anyone that stood in her way. She ran and ran and finally halted in front of the trio, her hazelnut gaze fierce and watery as she shot Naruto an accusing and angry glare.

"What have you done?!"

The blonde hero flinched and opened his mouth to explain, his sapphire orbs full of grief, pain and regret—but the bun-haired girl shut him off, yelling hysterical profanities as she yanked the limp Hyuuga away from him. Once free from the physical burden, Naruto could only stare at Neji's bloody form, his expression clearly horror-stricken.

"M-Me-Medic…" He stuttered out and blinked a few more times before the word registered in his brain and he dashed away with tears in his eyes, screaming for help, "M-MEDIC!"

Naruto's voice went unnoticed by Tenten's mind as her eyes traveled from Neji's bloody front then back up to his pale, pale face, his mouth coughing out red and pink. "…Ten…ten." The Hyuuga croaked out weakly for the first time since she held him and the girl choked back a horrified sob, her hands shaking as she clumsily wiped away dirt from his face.

"N-Neji, N-Neji", She sobbed, tears spilling without control from her eyes, "stay with me. Stay with me, Neji." She whispered hastily, desperately, her hands fumbling with the front of his vest, trying to tug the stubborn zipper down to give him some relief.

"Tenten…" Neji repeated once more, crimson dripping from the corners of his mouth. His lavender eyes were struggling to stay open and his cheeks were already a shade of ashen gray. With all the strength he could muster up in his state, the Hyuuga genius raised his hand, softly caressing the side of Tenten's face.

Fighting the urge to wince under his cold touch, the bun-haired girl leaned in painfully and shuddered, her brows furrowed down in fear and anxiety as she watched her teammate smile with effort. "Don't…cry." He murmured and his smile widened when the girl hovering above him nodded obediently, her blood-stained hands already wiping the clear crystals away. "I…don't like it when you…cry…"

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, okay." Tenten said in return, her response hoarse and hushed as she nodded still. "I-I won't. I'll stop crying." She reassured him as she clasped the hand that was on her face inside her own warm grip. "B-But you have to promise me that you'll stay with me, okay? Y-You can't die here." She told him shakily, blinking back the moisture that had gathered in her eyelids and were threatening to spill once again. "I won't allow it."

"But it's…painful…"

His response made Tenten's form shake with misery and the kunoichi could only take his face in her hands, her grip lifting up his head gently. "I-It's okay." She told him as her fingers buried themselves in the silky strands of his hair, "Y-You'll be j-just fine. Stay with me, Neji. Stay with me."

Her heart was clenching impossibly tight now and she almost can't breathe but Tenten provided herself no care and instead poured all her attention on the frail person that was once strong, proud and mighty Hyuuga Neji. All around them, screams and battle cries ripped out of shinobi's throats but the bun-haired girl could care less as she locked both of them away from the world.

She brushed away the hair that fell on his face and whispered comforting words, more to herself than to him, and planted a firm kiss on his forehead, all the while repeating her mantra, "Stay with me, Neji. Stay with me."

Finally, the Hyuuga could no longer hold out and Neji coughed out blood, sending Tenten into another quivering mess. "Oh…O-Oh my god…N-Neji, please. Stay with—"

"Ten…ten."

She met his eyes, still brave, still strong despite the condition he was in. Her own hazelnut orbs were nowhere near as courageous as his gaze. Blood was seeping in Neji's vest and staining Tenten's and the boy knew that his time was up. And so, giving his comrade, his teammate, his best friend, _his_ Tenten, a last genuine smile that only she had the right to witness, Neji said softly, "I love you…" His hand cascaded down from Tenten's face and onto the ground and his eyes fluttered gently, closing as he succumbed to the darkness that was coaxing him in the minute the poles stabbed his back.

"Ne…ji…"

Staring wide-eyed at the Hyuuga's peaceful expression, all control the kunoichi had broke apart as his last words echoed tauntingly inside her mind, her sanity snapping in half. She screamed, letting out all her agony, hatred and grief and for a moment, the world stood still and the chaos stopped as everyone in the battlefield heard the brokenhearted cry of a girl who lost someone special.

**End**

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**Kishimoto! What have you done?!**

I read the latest chapter in Naruto, chapter 614 and I am absolutely brokenhearted! T_T Why did Neji have to die? I'm not a big fan of his or anything but he was still a major character in the series! He deserved better than having two poles stuck in his back. Sheesh, what's Kishimoto trying to do, kill everyone? First it was Inoichi and Shikaku, now it's Neji...I'm not even sure if Gaara's still alive. Q.Q

But anyway, and that's done and we can't really do anything about it but hopefully this fanfic would bring closure to the Nejiten pairing... Or bring more drama and grief and whatever.

**Read and Review, people! ^^**

**P.S. I will continue my other fanfic, "Destiny of the Cursed". No need to worry.**


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